03 August 2010, 14:37 PM
  • Only weeks after a devastating fire, one of Yorkshire’s leading farm shops is doing a roaring trade – from a cattle box

Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop and the Old Farmhouse Restaurant at Sunnyside Farm, Netherton Moor Road, Huddersfield, were destroyed by fire in July.

But the family were determined to serve their loyal customers again as quickly as possible and are now selling a range of fresh produce from a temporary set-up at the site.

“We put in a brand new cattle box and a gazebo and are selling fresh eggs, salad, vegetables, potatoes, bread to order, jams and pickles,” said Simon Hirst, grandson of the business’s founder. 

“Everything’s fresh from our farms, unlike the supermarkets, where the eggs on the shelves can be almost two weeks old.”

Hinchliffe’s egg range includes every size from super jumbo to small, as well as duck eggs. Other produce on sale includes cauliflowers, onions, broccoli and Elland Honey.

Local people are supporting the venture. “People are travelling for miles to buy from our improvised farm shop. I cannot thank our customers enough. Everybody has rallied round.”

Hinchliffe’s, is also the biggest independent pullet rearers in the North, and rear up to one million commercial hens a year on 12 farms, an operation unaffected by the fire.  It is widely recognised as one of the country’s leading suppliers of healthy, superior-quality hens, supplying everyone from large-scale commercial egg producers to families looking for half a dozen chickens to rear in their back garden. 

Also for sale is everything you’ll need to keep chickens – from the birds themselves to hen houses and chicken feed. “It’s a one-stop shop for anyone wishing to follow in the footsteps of Tom and Barbara in The Good Life,” said Simon.